Regardless
by R.Ryan
Summary: She gave him everything she had, regardless of his lies, his callousness and his vindictiveness. She loved him for he was but more importantly she loved him for who he wasn't. Regardless of his imperfections and coldness, she broke down every wall. She showed him that even he could be loved. AH/OCC. No Under 18's please.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter One: Where It All Began.

The world knew him as Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, success story.

His parents knew him as the eldest of their three children and the one who had never once disappointed them.

His siblings knew him as their protective older brother who never allowed one bit of harm to befall them.

His sisters-in-law knew him as the man who had threatened to destroy them with the many secrets buried in their past.

His children, as well as his step-children, knew him as the best father that they could have prayed for.

His wife, though, knew him as the man who had hurt her the most.

Little did she know that she was the one that he would come to love the most.

* * *

><p>It was a little after nine on a wet Saturday morning in May and Edward had already locked himself away from the rest of his family in hopes of getting some very important work done before his brother's wedding rehearsal dinner that evening.<p>

His eyes kept flickering from document to document, trying desperately to drown out the sound of the wedding preparations going on just a floor below, a wedding which was costing him a pretty penny.

Emmett, the groom-to-be, had been very shocked when Edward had informed him that he was going to be paying for his wedding and had, at first, refused his brother. However, he crumbled shortly after when Edward told him he was paying for the wedding and that it was considered to be Edward and his children's wedding gift.

In actuality, though, Edward was only paying for the wedding because he knew that there was a very unlikely chance of the marriage actually standing up to the test of time and he did not want his parents spending any money on a marriage that was doomed to fail. If he could, Edward would have, very early on, thrown Rosalie out, but his brother was so in love that he did not have the heart to hurt his brother. So, he did what he always did. He protected him.

It took Edward's investigators a little over six months to piece together the very complex puzzle that was Rosalie Swan's past and when it was finally laid out for him in black and white, Edward was livid. Not only had the scheme concocted by Rosalie going to hurt Emmett, but it was also going to hurt his other brother, Jasper, who had fallen for Alice Swan's charms.

Even with hard, irrefutable evidence of the Swan sisters' conniving ways, Edward still did not say anything. He simply bit his lip and decided to bid his time, but now the time had come and he needed to have a few words with his future sister-in-law.

"You wanted to see me, Edward?" Rosalie smiled warmly as she entered his office.

"Oh, Rose! Yes, of course. Come on in and have a seat," Edward said, walking around his desk to embrace Rosalie and place a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Why thank you, kind sir!" Rosalie giggled.

Smiling, at least he hoped he was smiling, he politely asked for Alice. "And where is Alice? I wanted to meet her as well and I thought I could meet the both of you at once since I know that Alice will soon be my other sister-in-law."

"She's right outside. Do you want me to get her?" Rosalie asked.

"No, I'll call her." Quickly, he walked to the door and quickly called out for Alice to join him.

When everyone was seated, Edward started to speak.

"I know you may be wondering why I have call you here and really I just want to welcome you both to the family," Edward started off with a smile. "You see, when Emmett and then later Jasper told me that they had found the love of their lives, I was hesitant. You both know that I don't trust people easily, but when I met you all, I could see that you were perfect for my brothers. It was like you were made for them. You never fought, never had a disagreement. You accepted all their quirks, as though you knew they had them. So I started to get suspicious. Very suspicious," Edward drawled, loving how Alice and Rosalie started to look a bit pale.

"I asked one of my guys to look into your pasts and, after a couple of months, I could not believe what my guys presented me with; do you know what that was? You two may love my brothers, but you love their money more. You love the money in their trust funds more. You love the lavish and luxurious lifestyle they could give you more than you could ever love them and that, my dears, is not sitting well with me," Edward said in a very cold voice, not even the hint of a smile on his face.

"Edward, we can explain…" Alice started to say in a panicked voice before raised a hand to stop her.

"There is no explanation for what you both were trying to do. Emmett and Jasper are my brothers…..my younger brothers and I should destroy the both of you for these plans of yours but I won't," Edward confessed. "Because I know that you have indeed fallen in love with them, and, in that regard, I am willing to keep your secrets."

"Thank you, Edward…."Rosalie started to say but was once again stopped by Edward.

"I'm not finished. Another secret of yours that my men discovered was that you both have children. Two boys to be exact. Rosalie, your son is named Chase, while Alice's boy is named Theo. Both are under the age of four. So, I asked myself, how is it that you have children and my family and I have never seen them? But before I could get an answer for that question, my brothers were the ones who came with an answer. It was quite the tragic tale you two spun. Forced to give your children up for adoption by your alcoholic father and abusive mother. And then my brothers begged for my help so that I could help you both find ways to be reunited with your children. On my dime, the search for these boys started and ended quite abruptly when I found them in the care of your sister, Ms. Isabella Swan, and then the questions began to form yet again. How did Alice and Rose not know that their sister had custody of their children?

"The answer for that came from Ms. Isabella Swan herself, who came to see me just a week ago after she was served with court papers showing your intent to regain custody of your children."

"What?" Rosalie gasped, turning her wide fear filled eyes to look at Alice.

"Oh yes. Isabella, who is all of twenty-three years old, came to my office, begging me to stop the legal proceedings and not take the children away from her. After I got her to calm down, she spoke with me and told me every bit of truth. She was the one who filled in the missing pieces of the puzzle for me," Edward nodded, leaning back against his chair.

"Edward, you can't believe her!" Alice protested with a shake of her head. "She took our babies. She…"

"Don't lie, Alice," Edward sneered coldly. "There are legal documents, filed and signed by judges, giving merit to what she said and it sickens me to know that you both were so wrapped up in your own lives to discard your children on her doorstep in the middle of the night. I was even more disgusted when she showed me pictures of the children's thin bodies and tattered clothing. It was evident that you did not care for them. After all, they were hindering in your plans to get to the money you so desperately sought and now that you both had such wealth in your sights, you knew that bringing children back into your lives would act as a deterrent, should Emmett or Jasper ever decide to leave you."

"So, are you going to call off the wedding?" Rosalie asked in a small voice, desperately trying to hold her tears at bay.

"No. I already told you that the wedding will go on and for the rest of my brothers' lives, you will both treat them like gods. If they want ten kids, they will have them. If they want you to work and let them stay home with a beer gut, you will buy them the beer. If they have five love children with the maid, you will grin and bear it, but above all that, after you leave this room, you will find you significant other and tell them that I found your children. You will tell them that your sister, the angel that she is, adopted your boys and took them into her home. You will tell them that you have also spoken to your parents and you have made amends with them and you are so happy that they will be here tomorrow for the wedding.

"You will tell them that, after speaking briefly to both your sister and me, you have decided that it will be the best interest of the children that they are raised by your sister and that you are content with simply being the children's aunts. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes," Alice stuttered out, one of her hands holding on tightly to Rosalie's.

"Very good. You can leave now," Edward dismissed them with a causal nod of his head.

"Why not just give us back the children? Why go this route?" Alice asked almost hesitantly.

"Oh how foolish of me for forgetting to tell you this!" Edward said in insincere exasperation. "I always said that my wife would get the world, regardless if I carried for her or not."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alice murmured with a frowned brow.

"Everything. It has to do with everything," Edward said as he stood from his chair and made his way over to a side door in his office. Alice and Rosalie were left for several minutes to exchange puzzled glances before Edward returned with his arm wrapped around the tiny waist of a very beautiful young woman.

"Alice, Rosalie, please let me be the one to introduce you to my wife who I know you are both familiar with," Edward smirked.

"It can't be," Alice shook her head in denial while Rosalie's jaw dropped in shock.

"But it is," Edward continued. "This is my wife. She is the Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. She is Mrs. Isabella Marie Swan Cullen."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two: How She Became Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

With a gasp, Bella fell back against her seat.

"You have to meet him, Bella," her mother, Renee pleaded. "If not, he is going to take the boys, and for their sake; we can't allow that to happen."

"But why? Why do this now?" Bella murmured as she struggled to find some reason for the legal documents that she was served with just an hour ago.

"You know why, Bella," Charlie intoned, gently rubbing his hand down his daughter's back. "That man was quite clear on what they believed was going on and I think that the only way that you are going to stop this from happening is by going to Mr. Cullen and telling him the truth. Hopefully, he is a man of reason and will at least hear you out."

"It's not like I have a choice," Bella sighed, lifting her head to look at her sons, who were sprawled on the floor, under a fort that they had just built using her parents' couch cushions, completely oblivious to their mother's turmoil.

"When will you go?" Renee asked gently. "We could keep the boys for you."

"I'll go tomorrow. Just get it over and done with," Bella sighed, her voice cracking. "And could you keep the boys tonight, too? I don't want them to see me fall apart."

"Sweetheart," Renee whispered before pulling her daughter in for a long, comforting hug. "I will be alright. You better stay, too. Go take a bath and get to bed. Your dad and I will handle the boys."

"You sure?" Bella asked hesitantly, though a hot bath did sound like heaven after her sixteen hour shift.

"I'm positive. I was planning to make macaroni and cheese and grilled chicken; I know the boys will be fine with that. Go and take care of yourself and get your head in the game," Renee smiled before kissing her daughter on her forehead and leaving to prepare dinner for the rest of the family.

Kissing her father on his cheek, Bella silently made her way up the stairs, pausing on the third step to look back at the boys, Theo and Chase Swan.

She could still remember the first day she saw them…..the first day she ever knew about them.

It was December 14th, 2011. She had woken up in search of another blanket, hoping to fight away the biting cold that always accompanied a Forks winter. It was during this search, she heard the first of her son's cries. She could remember how she trembled when she opened that front door that day; the lawn was covered with a thick bed of snow, and the wind was blowing at unimaginable speeds, yet her sisters had left their most precious gifts, bundled in tattered blankets on her porch with one small bag of shredded clothing between them.

She remember the hysteria that filled her as she attempted to pick them both up, her panicked cries caused the Thomas', her elderly neighbours, to run over to see what was wrong. It was Mrs. Thomas who took Bella into her room and ordered her to strip off her t-shirt so that she could use her own body heat to warm the pale, shivering children back up. Mr. Thomas was the one who called her parents before running back to his own home for the bottles and formula they kept there for their own grandchildren, as well as any baby blankets and clothes that were left behind.

By the time her parents got there, Bella had the little ones comfortably wrapped up in blankets, fed a bottle each, and cuddled in Mr. and Mrs. Thomas' arms. She remembered leaping into her father's strong arms as her mother walked over to the children.

Even though a letter was found buried in between the few baby clothes, none of the Swans needed to read the letters to know that they were staring at Alice and Rosalie's children.

After the children were placed to sleep in Bella's bed, and after the elder Thomas couple left the shaken family, Charlie, Bella's father, opened the letter.

To this day, neither Bella, nor her mother, Renee, knew what was written in the letter since Charlie threw the letter into the fireplace after reading it.

Whatever was written there, though, had ignited a fury so strong in Charlie that it truly frightened Bella, but she never had a reason to fear for herself or the children. In all honesty, she feared for her sisters because all she could keep asking herself was what happened that had caused her sisters to abandon their children on at her door. Had they been kidnapped? Robbed? Murdered?

The fear she felt for her sisters truly did paralyze her, but all of her worries ended when her father revealed to her that her sisters had abandoned the children, leaving behind all of their documents such as their birth certificate and social security numbers and had also left behind legal documents handing over guardianship of the children to her.

Wide-eyed, Bella sat stunned as she stared at her father in disbelief. She was nineteen and living in a house that she had inherited for her grandmother, but it was in desperate need of repairs. She was working at the bookstore, making just enough to survive. But, other than that, she was in no position to take care of two children. Unfortunately, that was the hand that she was dealt.

In the beginning, Bella and her parents had tried to transfer the guardianship for Bella to themselves, but Alice and Rosalie had blocked that by filing a baseless complaint against their mother for child abuse. Try as they might, by the time they had finally had the complaint against her mother investigated and subsequently dismissed, the Swan family had fallen into a routine that surrounded the two children.

Four years later, Bella, on her twenty-third birthday, officially adopted the boys and the fact that they were biologically not hers, was buried deeply under all the love that she carried for them.

The joy of her memories were strong enough to cripple her and now she was faced with the fear of losing them, Bella was a mess.

Finally, when she was able to pull herself up the stairs and away from her boys, Bella walked herself into the bathroom and submerged herself in the hot water of a most needed bath while she thought.

She knew she needed to call her lawyer and see what ground Edward Cullen had to stand on to actually take her children away, but something told her that Edward Cullen had no intentions to playing along the lines of the law. He was going to play dirty and she knew that she had no chance in hell to win against a power house like Edward Cullen.

The next morning found Bella up at the crack of dawn. In truth, she had been up since three a.m.; her dreams were plagued with nightmares of the boys being taken from her. To keep herself occupied, Bella cooked the boys their favourite breakfast of porridge and fresh fruit and prepared lunch for her father to take to work and for her mother to have on hand since the boys were going to stay with her while Bella went to meet Edward.

"You're dressed already? Couldn't sleep?" Her father's deep voice pulled her out from her dark thoughts.

"Yeah….um…I made you breakfast," Bella nodded towards the table before turning her gaze back towards the window.

"It will be fine, Bella. It will work out," Charlie muttered as he walked over to his daughter.

"I do hope so. I will leave in a bit. I made you lunch as well. It's in your lunch bag. Breakfast for Chase and Theo has been prepared, too. The fruit is in the fridge. I made them pasta for lunch and it needs to be heated through before Mum serves it up. I made you macaroni and cheese, a BLT, and a fruit salad for lunch. There is fresh orange juice in the fridge if you want to take some with you," Bella rattled over, reaching over for her purse and car keys.

"Bella, sit and eat something before you go. It's only six thirty, sweetheart," Charlie said.

"But I can't. I can't' stay here knowing that they can be taken from me. I can't do it, Dad. I have to go; if it means waiting the entire day, I will do just that," Bella all but shouted.

"Alright. Call me when you get there," Charlie whispered as he kissed his daughter on her head and then watched with a twisted stomach as his child drove away to meet a man who could destroy her.

A little after ten that morning, Bella found herself parking her tiny Honda in the visitors' parking lot at the headquarters of Cullen Enterprises. With trembling hands, Bella reached down to her purse and pulled out a mint and popped it in her mouth, hoping to alleviate any reminisce of the hurried stops she had made along the way to empty her twisted stomach of its non-existent contents.

_This is it_, she thought to herself. _No stopping now. You can't stop now._

Steeling herself, she got out of her car and made her way into the immaculately constructed skyscraper and approached the help desk located next to the elevator.

"Um…excuse me?" she stuttered uncertainly. "Is Mr. Edward Cullen here?"

"Do you have an appointment?" The bubbly blonde asked with a kind smile on her face.

"No but..." Bella started to say but was cut off by the receptionist.

"Then I am so sorry, but I cannot help you. You need to make an appointment to see Mr. Cullen," the blonde smiled softly.

"Please," Bella's voice cracked. "I have to see him. My children…. He's going to take my children."

"What?" The receptionist said with wide eyes, moving around the desk to help the silently crying woman into a chair.

"He…." Bella tried to speak, but her throat tightened tightly in her grief and panic.

"Hold on," the receptionist said softly, handing Bella a tissue and bottle of water before she got on the phone. "Good day Mr. Cullen. There is woman down here who wants to see you...Yes, I know she needs an appointment, but she said that some man was trying to take her children away and I think she needs help...Her name? Um…I'm not sure. She's been crying since she got here. Her looks? Short. Tiny in size. Brown hair. Her eyes? Brown…Hello? Mr. Cullen? Um…Miss. I think you need to make an appointment," the receptionist said softly to Bella as she gently rubbed her back.

"Okay," Bella whispered tearfully but before she could say another word, she was spun around so strongly that she crashed into a firm chest.

"Humph!" Bella coughed, her breath being knocked out of her.

"Hello, Ms. Swan," a deep voice purred seductively in her ears. "I must say you got here much sooner than I anticipated."

Pushing herself away from the firm body, her eyes locked on the figure of the impeccably dressed man in front of her.

"You're Mr. Cullen, I presume," she spat at him.

"I am," he chuckled, his green eyes filling with unexplainable mirth.

"And you want to take my children from me?" she shrieked in outrage, drawing curious stares from several people in the lobby.

"I am," he nodded, but before she could say anything else, he walked off.

Ignoring the voice in her head, the one telling her to think before she acted, Bella hurried after the retreating man with every intention to force him to listen to what she had to say.

If she had been thinking, she would have noted the relaxed posture Mr. Cullen had taken as he stood in an empty elevator. If she had been thinking, she would have noticed the way he smirked as the elevator closed behind her, locking them away from the world. If she had been thinking, she would have realized long ago that Edward Cullen was setting a trap and she had already fallen into it.

"Mr. Cullen, would you care to explain to me why you are trying to take my children from me?" Bella spat out.

"On the contrary, Ms. Swan, there are those that would argue that those children are not yours," Edward smirked, loving the pink hue that bloomed across her face as fury turned her soulful brown eyes into liquid coal.

"They are mine!" she roared, so gone in her fury.

"I am sure they are," Edward responded in a sarcastic manner before the elevator doors opened, directly leading the pair into Edward's office.

"Mr. Cullen, I am unsure of what you were told, but those boys are mine in every sense of the word. They are my sons, my babies," Bella said passionately.

"Well, how about I tell you what I have heard," Edward stated as he took his seat behind his desk before gesturing for Bella to have a seat, a seat which she refused to take. "My brothers, Emmett and Jasper, came to me several weeks ago and asked for my help in a private matter. You see my brothers are dating your sisters. In fact, Emmett will be getting married to your sister in a matter of days."

"Heaven help the poor bastard," Bella muttered, unaware that Edward had heard her.

"They came to me, asking me to help them find the long lost sons of your sisters. They were told that your mother and father had taken the children away from them and then disowned them, leaving them on the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs," Edward continued on, completely ignoring her interruption.

"But that is not true," Bella gasped. "That didn't happen at all. They abandoned them; Chase and Theo. Alice and Rosalie left them at my front door in the dead of night in the middle of winter."

"I am aware of that, Ms. Swan," Edward nodded.

"Then why are you threatening to take two children away from the only mother they ever knew to give them over to the mothers who did not give a damn about them," Bella shouted.

"I have no intentions of taking your children away from you," Edward said calmly, turning his eyes away from the woman. "In fact, I have no legal ground to do so. Legally, you are their mother and you have solid proof to support your case…..so solid, in fact, that no one could ever take those children from you."

"Then why send those documents?" Bella whispered, shakily sitting down on a chair.

"I sent them because I am an opportunist," Edward said as he stood and moved over to pull a chair over so that he was sitting in front of Bella.

"I don't understand."

"Ms. Swan, for months now, I have been investigating your sisters. Something about them did not sit right with me. Within days of starting this investigation, I learned that your sisters were simply after the money that my brothers have through their trust funds and investments they had made. As time went along, I came across more and more irrefutable evidence of your sisters' plot to rob my brothers of every penny they had." Edward confessed.

"So, did you tell your brothers about their plot and then did my sisters, in turn, tell your brothers that my parents and I were using the children to blackmail them or something like that?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Actually, it is nothing like that. In fact, I have not told my brothers anything," Edward shrugged.

"What? That makes no sense! My sisters are the worst of the worst. Really, you need to protect your brothers and tell them the truth," Bella exclaimed.

"No, Miss Swan. I have done and will do the opposite of that. You see my brothers truly love your sisters and I refuse to have them hurt that way," Edward stated.

"That is twisted," Bella gapped at him.

"Maybe, but I know that your sisters won't be going through with their plan because, you see, your sisters fell in love with my brothers, too and I guarantee you that if they had the choice to redo the inclusion of their children in their attempt to rob my brothers, they would do it all over again in a heartbeat," Edward shrugged.

"Still… why am I here? Why not leave us alone if you knew it was a farce?" Bella asked, completely puzzled.

"As I said before Ms. Swan, I am an opportunist," Edward smirked. "And I saw an opportunity that I just could not miss out on."

"And what opportunity is that?" Bella asked, looking Edward in his eyes.

"You, Ms. Swan. You were the opportunity that I could not miss….the opportunity that I cannot miss," Edward whispered.

"What?" Bella chocked.

"I had my men following you and day after day I would see you with your children. I would see the love you have for them and for the first time in my life I saw myself wanting something, not for myself, but for my children," Edward muttered as he reached out to take hold of a picture frame near to him. "Two failed marriages and I was left with two children. My ex-wives want nothing to do with them and it kills me to see my children yearn for that maternal connection. A man in my position cannot date, Ms. Swan and as such my children have suffered greatly."

"I'm not following you," Bella whispered.

"What I am saying is this…my children need a mother. You are an excellent mother so you will become their mother," Edward said in a frank manner.

"What?" Bella shrieked, her pulse beginning to race.

"I do not think I need to repeat myself," Edward rolled his eyes.

"But I can't be their mother. I am not their mother. I don't know your children. I don't know you. What the heck?" Bella blurted out.

"I am well aware that you are not my children's mother, Ms. Swan, but you will be or else I will do everything in my power to have your children taken from you," Edward spat.

"But you just said you couldn't do that!" Bella rebutted.

"But sometimes things happen and CPS must be called. I did say that I couldn't have the children returned to your sisters, but I also didn't say that they would never be taken away from you," Edward chuckled darkly.

"Why are you doing this?" Bella asked in a daze.

"My children need a mother. You are a woman who I have had watched for months and I have seen the love you have for two children that are not biologically yours. Not many women can do that, so I believe that you will be perfect," Edward said.

"And how do you propose I go about becoming your children's mother, Mr. Cullen?" Bella said heatedly, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the argument.

"It will be very simple, Ms. Swan. You will marry me and legally adopt my children as yours," Edward said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Are you insane?" Bella shouted. "No, I will not do that. Never. I will never do that, Mr. Cullen. I have my boys to think about. No! This will not happen."

"Yes, it will, Ms. Swan, or else there will be a call placed to CPS in a matter of minutes by an elderly woman who saw you hit your child in the park," Edward roared back though his anger diminished in seconds as he watched Bella struggle with the weight of the threat he had just thrown at her.

"My boys…I have to think about my boys. I can't just be a mother to your kids while my boys suffer. I will not abandon them. Never," Bella replied with a shake of her head.

"You will not be abandoning your boys, Ms. Swan. In fact, they will become my sons, too. After all, if you adopt my children, it's only fair that I adopt yours."

"This isn't right!" Bella sobbed. "Talking about children like they are chess pieces."

Silently, Edward dropped the picture frame he was holding into Bella's lap, fighting against himself as he watched her softly trace the outline of his children's faces in the picture with her fingers.

"Help me, Bella," Edward pleaded. "Love my children and I will give yours the world and I promise to protect them."

"But marriage?" Bella sighed. "It just seems so over the top."

"I want my children to have the stability...our children."

"And what about our lives? My parents?"

"I will deal with all of it," Edward promised, internally smirking as he realized that Bella was on the verge of giving in. "I would prefer that you don't work. My younger child is only eight months old, and if you agree to this, your children will never want for anything again."

"It's not like I have a choice though. Not with you threatening to take my children away," Bella pointed out. "Damned if I do. Damned if I don't. How are we going to go about this? The marriage and adoptions?"

"I am glad you can see things my way," Edward smirked, reaching over to his desk to grab a file before handing it over to Bella. "I have all the paperwork here. You can go through it all."

Wiping away her tears, Bella slowly began to read through all the documents in front of her while Edward resumed working. Once in a while, she would stop and call her attorney, just to ensure what she was reading was for the best of her children.

There were so many different documents.

Marriage certificate.

Adoption papers.

Papers to change her name and the boys from Swan to Cullen.

As she read through each page, she fought against her churning stomach and light headedness.

An hour later, Bella finally finished and cautiously cleared her throat. "Um…..Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes, Ms. Swan?" he responded without lifting his eyes away from the papers he was reading.

"I'm ready to sign," she whispered causing Edward's eyes to shoot up to look at her.

Nodding, he straightened his tie and stood before making his way over to the woman who was anxiously biting her lips.

Wordlessly, he pulled out a pen from his pocket and quickly signed the documents before offering Bella the pen to do the same. Edward felt a deep sense to victory fill him as he watched Bella sign her name next to his on the various documents.

"So… what now?" Bella asked shyly handing him back his pen.

"Now, you and I will go to your home and inform your parents about what has happened. We will collect Theo and Chase and then return to my home where you will meet my son, Alexander, and my daughter, Cayla," Edward informed her as he collected his belongings to leave for the day.

"Am I really your wife?" Bella asked as if unable to compute what had happened.

"Yes, Ms. Swan. You are now my wife. You are now Mrs. Cullen," he replied and, in that moment, Edward was never more thankful for his speedy reflexes as he rushed over to catch his new wife as she fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Three: The Day They Saw Her Worth.

Bella was lulled into consciousness by the gentle humming of a car. It took her a while to truly wake up, but, when she did, her head whipped to the side, where her new husband sat next to her, casually reading through a file.

"Finally awake?" he smirked, not looking up from his work. "There is a bottle of juice and a container of fruit salad for you. You look like you need it."

"Where are we?" she asked, sitting up from her reclined position in the car.

"We are on our way to get Chase and Theo and also to inform your parents of our marriage," Edward responded.

"Was that even official? No witnesses?" Bella asked timidly.

"Bella," he scoffed, "if I, with all my money, can't get someone to bend the rules for me a little bit, then I need to be shot."

"So, it _is_ official?" Bella sighed, looking out the window at the passing scenery.

"Very much so. Within a week, the official documents will be delivered, signed, sealed, and stamped," Edward said, finally lowering down the file.

"So what are we telling my parents?" Bella asked gently, turning slightly to look at her new husband.

"The truth. Every last bit of it," Edward shrugged.

"You do know that my father will kill you if you do choose to tell him the truth," Bella muttered as she opened the bottle of juice and took a small sip.

"I may be shot, but he won't kill me."

"So I will also meet your babies tonight?" Bella asked timidly.

"Yes and their nanny as well," Edward nodded.

"Nanny?" Bella muttered, looking over at Edward with wide eyes.

"Well, I do need someone to look after my children," Edward smirked.

"Then there is no need for me then," Bella whispered. "This marriage isn't for the children's sake."

"Oh...you caught me," Edward chuckled darkly. "I told you a tiny little fib. It was never my kids then; it was me."

"Why lie then?"

"Because you wouldn't have agreed unless I used some leverage over you. I softened you with the story about my children needing a mother and I cornered you when I told you that I would take your children away from you," Edward explained in a callous voice.

"I don't...I don't know what to say...what to think," Bella stuttered. "What have I done?"

"You did what you did to keep your children and my children will benefit from it," Edward spat. "Because I wasn't making empty threats when I said that I would have your children taken from you. I was going to do just that. I was going to pressure you until you agreed to be my wife."

"Why me though? You said it yourself; you have enough money that you could buy yourself a wife," Bella threw back.

"How do you think wife number two came about?" Edward hissed. "Been there, done that; it didn't work out so well."

"But, still...why me?" Bella insisted.

"The truth?" Edward sighed, rubbing his face. "The truth is you are fucking beautiful. You put your sisters to shame. There is also a warmth about you. Even from the pictures I got from the investigator, I knew that people flock to know you….speak to you and I hope the same thing will happen when you accompany me to my many business dinners, functions, galas, as well as when I invite investors over."

"So I am the pawn you plan to use to increase your wealth," Bella whispered.

"Now, don't say it so callously," Edward scoffed. "Your boys are now Cullens. They are my sons. They will get the best of the best. Nothing will be out of bounds for them. There will be no limits on the success your sons will be able to accomplish now. You, too, will never have to work a day in your life again. Plus, you never signed a pre-nuptial agreement, so, if you decide to divorce me, you'll get fifty percent of everything. But, you won't leave me, because, if you do, I will fight you for custody of your boys. "

"If you want me to take up the role of mother for your children, I will not tolerate a nanny. I will be doing everything. When I need to accompany you, then we will have someone taking care of them. I will parent all of the children my way, not your way," Bella stated, trying desperately to come to terms with the decision she had made.

"Fine," Edward nodded before pulling out his phone.

With quick precision, he dialed a number and within seconds, he'd fired his children's nanny and asked his mother to keep the children until he got back home.

After that, silence fell within the confines of the luxury car until they arrived at Bella's home.

"Ready?" Edward asked.

"No," Bella answered. "But there is no way to undo this. Look, they are already waiting."

"Then, it's showtime," Edward said, rolling his shoulders before stepping out of the car.

Renee, who had been standing on the porch since she spied the Mercedes driving along the road, could not help the gasp that left her lips when Edward stepped out of the car, nor could she help the cry that left her lips when she saw her daughter exit the car after him.

"Charlie!" Renee shouted, her eyes never leaving her daughter's hunched form. Within seconds, her husband was standing next to her, watching their daughter walking up to the house, she every step being shadowed by the man who was intent on destroying their daughter's happiness.

"Bella, what is going on?" Renee questioned when the pair was close enough to them.

"Um….Mum, I got married," Bella whispered, her gaze falling to the floor.

"What?" Renee gasped, stepping closer to her daughter.

"I married Edward. I had no choice. He told me that even though he had no legal ground to take the boys, he was going to make it very difficult for me to keep them unless I agreed to marry him and adopt his children," Bella rushed out.

"Bella, tell me that you are lying," Renee pleaded, cupping her daughter's tear-streaked face.

"What choice did I have?" Bella whispered. "I can't risk the boys."

"God damn it, Bella! How can you be so stupid? He himself told you that he had no legal ground to take the boys from you. We would have fought it," Charlie shouted in absolute frustration.

"But to what end, Dad? And with what money? He was going to keep coming after me. How many CPS calls does someone need to make before CPS takes my kids until an investigation is done? One! One complaint that I was seen hitting the boys and my children could be put in the system for months while we fight it," Bella spat back. "Tell me that, if you were in my position, your stance would be different. I would not have been going up against some assistant district attorney. I would have been going up against one of his cutthroat friends and I will not risk my children."

"But his wife? The mother of his children? Bells, it simply does not make sense," Charlie shock his head.

"I never said that it made sense, Dad," Bella sighed.

"And I don't like it," Charlie added on in an almost petulant manner.

"I know you don't. I don't like it either," Bella confessed before turning to look out the kitchen window.

"I wish I could save you from this, Bella," Renee whispered in a broken voice after a few minutes of silence.

"I wish I could save myself," Bella scoffed.

"But, alas; you are mine until the day I die," Edward drawled from where he leaned against the doorframe, watching the Swan family with a smirk.

"You little shit! Shut your mouth before I put a bullet in you," Charlie roared so loudly Theo came running out of the house.

"Mummy!" the little boy screamed, leaping easily into his mother's arms. "Gampie yelled."

"Oh baby! Did your granddaddy frighten you? It's okay," she whispered, gently pushing back Theo's hair across his forehead. "Gampie is a little angry."

"Why?" Theo asked, placing his head gently on his mother's neck.

"Because…"Bella began to say before Edward interrupted her.

"Because I came to meet you," Edward said.

"Who you?" Theo whispered, his brown eyes locking with Edward's.

"I am your daddy," Edward confessed, walking over to where Bella stood holding Theo tightly to her chest.

"Daddy? Like how Gampie is Mummy's daddy?" Theo raised his head to look at Edward more clearly.

"Just like that," Edward genuinely smiled at Theo's question and with that answer, Edward found himself cradling his new son against his chest after the toddler vaulted from his mother's arm into his new father's.

Fighting back tears at what had occurred, Bella quickly stepped away from everybody and raced into the house.

Unknown to her, her mother followed her.

"How, Bella? How on earth are you going to explain this to the boys?" Renee asked.

"I don't think I have any explaining to do. Did you not see how Theo went to him?" Bella whispered as she began to pack her belongings.

"Bella..." Renee started to say once again, but her words died suddenly in her throat, her blood ran cold as the bang of a shotgun reverberated through the tiny house.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Four.

"Theo. Chase," Bella gasped before running into the room where Chase was sleeping, picking him up and running down the stairs and out the door just in time to see Edward shielding Theo with his own body, while Charlie stood in front of them, his service gun drawn and pointed to a bleeding man on the floor.

"Theo," Bella screamed, running over to the pair where Edward pulled Bella down.

"He's fine," Edward hissed. "Now stay down."

"All clear, Mr. Cullen," Edward's driver called out. "The bullet hit his neck. He's gone."

"Your driver carries a gun?!" Bella hissed as she stood up, the weight of what happened hadn't sunk in yet.

"Thank god he does," Edward spat back, gently rocking Theo, who had a tight grip on his suit.

"I can take him," Renee muttered, reaching out for her grandson from Edward. "And Bella, come take Theo and Chase away. Chase's still sleeping and Theo doesn't need to see this."

Unable to find a fault with her reasoning, Bella accompanied her mother back into the house, but opted to put both boys together in her room.

"I'll stay with them," Renee whispered, looking at her sleeping grandchildren and then without a word, Bella left the room and walked back to the porch when the magnitude of what happened hit her.

Bella's body began to tremble in shock.

There was a would-be criminal lay dead on the floor, his blood already congealing on her lawn.

Her eyes became teary as she looked at into the lifeless eyes on the now dead man; his own weapon still held in his hand.

"Andre Lincoln," Charlie murmured, reading of the man's driver's license, having already dug out his wallet. "He's dressed to the nines: sharp suit, expensive shoes, and a tie; none of which are cheap. What was he doing in Forks and why Bella's house? Is he one of yours, Cullen?" Charlie spat accusingly.

"No, he's not, but I know who he is. That license is a forgery, and by the impeccable quality of it, I can tell you who did it for him. His name is Landon Riclen. He's a former Marine who went rouge several years back. He makes people disappear."

"And his target?" Charlie sneered. "You, Mr. Big-shot Billionaire?"

"No. The target, if I had to guess, was Bella, Chief Swan," Edward stated, walking over to the body.

"Why?" Charlie whispered hoarsely, his skin ashen.

"Because the last person who spoke to Mr. Riclen was your daughter, Rosalie, and if I am not mistaken, the big envelope that she handed him was filled with fifty thousand large ones."

"My sister tried to kill me?" Bella gasped out, her eyes searching Edward's.

"I don't think he meant to kill you. I think she sent him to intimidate you. If she wanted you dead, she would have paid more," Edward said.

"Dear lord!" Bella whispered.

"This isn't going to stop. That is why I want to get you out of here as soon as I can," Edward stood, slipping his hands into his pants pockets.

"We'll have to wait for a while. Don't we have to give statements?" Bella stuttered.

"Yes, but you can give in those at a later date. I don't like the idea of you being in danger. I don't like that I don't fully understand what is going on, but, right now, I need to get you to safety. Go with him," Charlie nodded towards Edward. "He knows what is going on; the boys and you will be safe with him."

"Dad…" Bella whispered.

"Don't, 'dad' me, Bella. Get the boys. Pack enough clothes to last you a while and go with him," Charlie whispered before gently kissing her head.

"She just needs to get the boys. I packed some things for them already." Renee broke the moment, gently rubbing her daughter's back.

"Okay. Just, please, don't be angry with me," Bella whispered, looking at her parents.

"Never, sweetheart. Never," Renee smiled before pulling her daughter into a warm and long embrace.

Thirty minutes later, Renee clung to her husband as he held onto her just as tightly as the car carrying their daughter and grandchildren drove away.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Renee asked him later that night, after all of the police officers had left.

"I hope so," Charlie grunted. "He shielded Theo. If that man got a shot off before he was taken down, Theo would have been safe."

"There might be hope for Edward after all," Renee murmured and Charlie nodded in agreement.

After a two hour journey, Bella was staring at what would become her new home.

"It's massive," she whispered, holding the now awake Chase in her arms.

Chase, unlike Theo, wanted nothing to do with Edward and had clung to his mother from the minute he woke in the car. Theo, feeding off his brother's mistrust, also pulled away from Edward and had spent the past two hours playing games on his mother's phone.

"It was my great-grandfather's home. I inherited it when he passed," Edward said to her, coming to stand by her side.

"Do you have to get your children?" Bella asked cautiously.

"No. They'll spend the night with my parents. It will give you an opportunity to get settled. Plus, there are still some things I want to talk to you about," Edward said. "First, some dinner. It's been a long day."

"Edward, please go and get your children. We can talk after they all go to bed," Bella pushed. "It wouldn't feel right for me to enter your home for the first time as your wife and their mother with my own children and them not be with us. I don't want them to think that their presence was not wanted. I don't want them to feel like they are unwanted."

"The woman speaks sense, Edward," a posh female voice, wafted over to them. "But the children are inside and so is your father. Now, can you explain to me why this woman thinks that she is your wife?"

"Because, Mother, she is my wife. Esme Platt-Cullen meet Isabella Marie Cullen, my wife."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Five.

_Quick thinking and even quicker reflexes saved Elijah Hamilton from a trip to the emergency room that night as the crystal tumbler his best friend had been sipping from flew across the room, aimed directly for his head._

"_You __were__ fucking my fiancé. My Mariah!" the enraged man roared. "We were supposed to get married in two weeks__, and tonight__ I walk into the house that I built after taking out a loan__, which__ I am struggling to pay__,__ to see you fucking her in __the same bed we shared. Now,__ to top it__ all__ off, you have the gall to ask me for help! No, Elijah, I will not be helping you! I owe you nothing."_

"_Edward, please," his mother pleaded, standing a good distance away from the fight in the arms of her husband. _

"_No! I won't subject myself to a DNA test because that kid she is carrying is not mine. It __could__ never be mine," Edward roared, turning his burning gaze on his mother._

"_How can you say that, Edward? What if…" their mother said softly, pleading with her son to see reason._

"_There will be no 'what ifs.' I never fucked Mariah!" Edward spat. _

"_What?" Elijah stuttered out, his eyes widening in shock._

"_Did I __stutter__?" Edward mocked. "Then let me say it again. My cock never went near that loose pussy. I never slept with Mariah. If she told you that I did, then she is lying. I was waiting for marriage because that was what she wanted," Edward __said__ as callously as he could at his friend. "But I was the fucking fool. You were already working her over so she had no need for me."_

_Too far__ gone in his rage, Edward barely registered the shocked gasp that left his mother's lips or how his father, Carlisle__,__ and brothers, Emmett and Jasper__,__ flinched from his words._

"_Where is she anyway? Not interested in seeing the damage that she has caused this family?" Edward chuckled darkly before throwing himself down onto the couch. _

"_Edward, I am sorry. I am so very sorry. I don't know what I was thinking," Elijah confessed, brokenly, his back colliding painfully with the wall as he gracelessly sunk to the floor._

"_Save your apologies for someone who gives a damn," Edward spat. "Congrats to you__,__ though. You've got the woman of your __dreams,__ but__,__ at the same time, you lost a brother."_

Seven years later, Esme Cullen could remember with perfect clarity every word that was said that fateful night; the night her son severed all ties with his god-brother and best friend.

The catalyst for the destruction of a relationship that withstood the trials of life. They stood strong, supporting each other when there was barely any money for food and rent. Neither was willing to see the other afraid, both taking turns to crawl into one another's bed well into their teenage years simply because starting over in a new town unnerved them.

She never thought that she would live to see the day when her sons were nothing more to each other than boats passing in the night.

The betrayal had shocked Edward to his core; while Elijah had attempted to make amends for his indiscretion, Edward wanted none of it, especially when there was living proof of what had occurred.

Seven months after their fight, Esme found herself collapsed on the floor of her closet, pounding at her chest as if in an attempt to beat back the suffocating grief that flooded her on the birth of her grandson. Tears poured from her eyes, her sobs muffled only by the sleeve of her dress that she had been biting down on. How could she love someone so much who was the proof of what had broken her heart?

She remembered that pain and torment. She remembered that way Elijah looked at her, pleaded with her to meet his son, but she could not. Her mother's heart wouldn't; it was Edward that changed it all for her. It took a few whispered words from a voicemail that he had left well after midnight two weeks after her grandson had been born. _"Emmett sent me a picture of Eli, Mum. He's so handsome. All I see is Elijah, though. He's innocent, Mum. Love him for me because I don't think I can love him as much."_

The morning after she received that message, she cooked a huge breakfast and took it over to Elijah's house. No words were said. No explanations were given, but Esme did what her son had asked her to do and she allowed herself to love her grandson.

Eli Masen Cullen was the light of her life. He was the one thing that made breathing easier. By the time he was two years old, he was a carbon copy of his father, from his unruly blond hair to his piercing blue eyes. He loved steak and threw his vegetables through the window when he thought that no one was looking. He played baseball as well as a two year old could and ran from girls as if they carried the bubonic plague. He loved his family and he adored the uncle he never met; the uncle who sent him five hundred dollars every birthday and Christmas, in addition to whatever ridiculously expensive gift the uncle had purchased.

Esme knew that Elijah's fury ignited every time he saw what Edward had sent for his son. On several occasions, Elijah had destroyed the gifts only to have them replaced a couple days later with another delivery from Edward. Esme knew, though, that Elijah's anger was fueled by his own guilt and jealousy both for what he had done and for what had become of Edward. But what Edward had become frightened Esme to her core.

He was cold.

He was callous.

He was merciless.

He was numb, blind to the havoc he created in his path to gain what he wanted.

He became a success, though, building up an empire that over-shadowed all others. His power and influence stretched out and, soon enough, she saw pictures of her son shaking hands with world leaders, dining with royalty, and standing as a man to be feared and revered.

Slowly enough, after he attained the power and position he wanted, Edward began to reintegrate himself back into the family he all but left behind, but before he even had the hope to rekindle his friendship with Elijah, the unthinkable happened.

His and his wife's ashes still sat on her marble fireplace a bitter reminder that even the good die young.

Through the entire process from having her god-son and his wife's body removed from the wreckage that was their car to their cremation, Edward was silent. No emotion was seen on his face. He took care of all the expenses before even she knew and handled everything associated with the funeral services.

It was only at the reading of their wills, did Edward break. It was then that he learned that he had been appointed as Eli's legal guardian and that it was the hope of his god-brother and his wife, that he adopt Eli as his own someday.

Someday came soon than most expected because within just a matter of two days, Edward began the process of adopting Eli as his own.

With that, the process of finding a mother for Eli began. Some would think that the woman would only be after his money, but that would not be the case at all.

Selena Madison was a god-send who loved Eli more than she could love Edward and she married Edward for that very reason. She dedicated her time and love to Eli tending to his every need and Edward loved her for it. He was still cold, callous and ruthless, but not with her.

Only a year had passed since their wedding when Edward and Selena announced that she was pregnant with a little girl, but, once again, Edward had been destined to suffer.

Selena died at the young age of twenty-seven, living just long enough to see her daughter placed in the arms of the man who, despite being so flawed, would love that precious bundle purely.

Edward mourned openly for his wife, a wife who, he would later find out through her doctors, was well aware that the pregnancy would claim her life.

He was left with a broken heart, a beautiful newborn girl and a letter written to the both of them.

When his Madeline was five, he once again found his heart being stolen by a woman, a woman who became his second wife.

Esme would never know if it was grief or if she was so beautiful, but Vanessa Rellson was more venomous than a cobra and she was determined to destroy all that stood in her path to get to Edward, but more so, his money. For some time it did seem like she was winning, but her hold on him soon ended when he learned that she was pregnant with another man's child.

And so began the divorce than turned into a media bloodbath.

Her son went from villain to hero, dead beat father and wife beater to widowed father and cheated husband. By the time it was over, and done with, Edward walked away without losing a penny, without losing any clients, and built up a wall around his heart that only his children could crack.

He kept his family at a distance. He spent his time with them, joined them at barbeques, and camped with them when he was free, but it was never the same. He celebrated with his brothers on their engagements, but that was it. He closed himself off from the world.

Esme did not know what to make of this.

His wife stood half behind him, clearly relying on him to be her protector. She saw the two young boys, standing with them, both of them holding onto one of his legs.

"Your wife?" Esme stuttered, taking a step towards them.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Edward, questioned in a monotone voice, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Edward…what have you done?" her husband's voice, echoed out behind them, but, instead of turning to look at her husband who had joined them, her eyes were locked on her son as he did something that she had only seen him do once before, with his Selena.

He took a step and stood directly in front of the girl.


End file.
